James Michael McAdoo

The Philadelphia 76ers have been “trusting the process” for years now, part of a now-legendary rebuild strategy espoused by now-deposed GM Sam Hinkie in an effort to accrue talent the new-fashioned way: by losing as many games as possible to improve odds in the draft lottery, and keeping payroll down so that talent can get paid. Now, the payoff for those years of ultimate suckage is finally at hand, with a deliciously young and modern core (Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, Markelle Fultz, Robert Covington, Dario Saric) and some veteran leaders (JJ Redick and our good friend James Michael McAdoo, among others). Meanwhile, on the opposite coast, the Golden State Warriors’ process has been to reload from the top, using their cachet as a franchise and as a free agent destination and their owners’ deep pockets to bring on board known talents (Andre Iguodala, Kevin Durant, David West, Nick Young, Omri Casspi) and hot draft commodities (Pat McCaw, Jordan Bell). In a juicy matchup between two teams in very different stages of their development curves, the Warriors took the Sixers’ best punch and barely flinched, riding yet another dominant second half to win 135-114.